Wednesday, February 12, 2014

ARC Review | The Summer I Found You by Jolene Perry

Jolene Perry's THE SUMMER I FOUND YOU, about a teenage girl trying to cope with her new diagnosis of type one diabetes and a teenage male veteran who is learning how to embrace his new life after losing an arm, who come together by using each other as an escape, only to discover through love and struggle that your life is what you make of it.

I received an ARC copy from the publishers via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Summer I Found You is a story of two young adults, dealing with two completely different situations that have changed their lives forever. Aidan, who is 19 and already a veteran in the Army, lost his arm and a good friend all in one life changing moment. Kate, a young senior in high school, had the perfect boyfriend and then she found out she had type I diabetes. One year later and she is still struggling with her diagnosis, but has to deal with being dumped on top of it all.
Thanks to Kate’s best friend, Jen, she meets Aidan, who happens to be Jen’s cousin. The rest, well, you’ll just have to read for yourself.
My one main issue with this book is the title. I kept waiting for the mention of summer, but the story actually takes place during the school year. Sure, it’s not a big deal, but for me, I found the cover and the title to be a bit misleading. However, this small detail does no impact my overall thoughts on the book, just something that I couldn’t help but think about as I was reading.
The pain and suffering Aidan endured is something I cannot fathom going through. As the reader, I wanted so bad for him to come to terms with what happened to him and to begin to move on and start his new life. As for Kate, while I can’t image being told you have type I diabetes at just 17, I found myself somewhat angry at her for neglecting her body and not taking it as serious as she needed to. I know she felt ganged up on by her family and friends, but I also wanted to gang up on her. Aidan and Kate needed each other in two completely different ways and I enjoyed taking this journey with them and seeing them come to terms with the cards they were dealt. For me, I see them as each others saving grace.
Overall, The Summer I Found You, was a good read. I did feel as if it was missing something, but I can’t place on finger on what exactly. Like all books, this one just depends on the reader.